Sixpence
by nemaara
Summary: AU. All her life, she's been ignored by everyone, but fortunately for her, someone out there is willing to help her. Oneshot - Jinx/Raven.


Disclaimer: Teen Titans isn't mine

This one is set in medieval times (actually probably the Victorian era in England), and Jinx is a couple years younger than Raven is. "Sixpence" is a type of coin, and it is not - and was not - worth terribly much.

Anyway... hope it's been a fun 14 days. Enjoy~

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

* * *

A pale, young girl hid under the ledge of a shop as it began raining. Another one of the poor, homeless people who lived in the city near the castle, just another abandoned child, because her parents had been too poor to feed her.

That, and the fact that she had pink hair.

Unheard of. Certainly a sign of witchcraft, most people tended to believe, but truthfully she was just a normal girl. Who was shunned and abused, just because her hair was a different color. Or if not abused, then completely ignored. Left on the streets to die alone.

_But I don't want to die. I want to live, like a normal person._

She dug through a pile of garbage, looking for some scraps of food to eat. But as she searched, nothing really came up, save for some chewed up bones and rotten meat.

Vaguely, she remembered that today was the last day of harvests - and winter was coming soon - so that was probably why people were trying to save whatever food they could.

She looked down at her tattered clothing, sighing. _So if I don't freeze to death, I'll starve to death. Great._

The pink haired girl closed her eyes and sat back down on the side of the street, staring at the ground. In front of her, people passed by, glancing at her, then looking away, many of them clearly frightened, or disgusted when they noticed her pink hair... not that it upset her. No, she was definitely used to it by now. Shunned. A pariah... yep. _That's what I am. Get used to it. I don't need them anyway. All I need is... _she looked around. _Some food? Maybe a shelter? I don't want to live like this... _

A horse-drawn carriage drove by, splashing her with water.

She grimaced, getting up and shaking the foul smelling liquid out of her clothes, then picked a spot further away from the street to sit at.

Truly, it was very disheartening. It wasn't like there was anyone obviously abusing her. Nobody beat her, nobody even spoke to her. But that was exactly the problem. Nobody acted like she even existed - mostly because she didn't have the guts to go out and make a scene or attempt to try to people - but it was a painful, horrible thing. As if she were so subhuman that she was not even worth despising.

Her stomach rumbled, but by now, she had grown so accustomed to it that she paid it no attention. The hunger, ever present, was merely something to get used to. Like the stink and filth around her. The biting cold of winter. And being utterly ignored.

Exhausted, starving, she crawled away and found a nice, secluded area in an alley. She curled up, resting her head on her arms. Her body began to shut down of its own will, malnourished to the point that she could no longer function. Slowly, fitful sleep overtook her like the shroud of death, and her last conscious thought was that she was probably going to die.

* * *

_Or not._

She raised her head weakly, feeling hungrier than ever. A hand came up, trailing along her protruding ribs, up towards her head. As she sat up, she felt distinctly light headed, nearly falling down again from dizziness. But a minute or two passed and she remained upright.

_Great. So I can't even die. Seriously, not even gonna let me just pass out and die from starvation. Do I have to burn myself to death or something? _She shook her head. _But I don't really want to die. I still..._

Pain gnawed at her insides and the thought was banished from her mind quickly.

She doubled over, feeling her abdomen constrict acutely - it almost felt like her stomach was trying to turn itself inside out, trying to eat the rest of her organs so that it might be able to sate the emptiness that she felt.

A minute passed, then two. The pain did not fade, but eventually, she grew more accustomed to it and was even able to move a little.

As she regained her senses, she realized that it was all dark around her and the air was filled with the distinct smell of raw meat and rotting vegetables. But still, food, nevertheless. She mustered up some strength and let her sense of smell guide her through the dingy streets. Winding through the area, walking when she could, or crawling if her legs gave out, she arrived at a garbage dump, which would probably be cleared away by the peasants in the morning - they would probably take it out into the country on horse wagons, then burn it, as was the standard. So she didn't have too much time to look.

But this time, there really was some food, and even if it was unsanitary and half rotten with filth... she closed her eyes and tried not to taste it as she ate. She knew she would be sick later, but it was the little bit of nourishment she needed to survive... if she did not die from the disease that she would probably get from eating it. Well, it was either that or starve to death, and she was still willing to take that chance. Even if life had given nothing to her except for bad luck.

She felt a little better. Passably better. For the moment. At least she had the energy to get up and walk again. Back out into the open street-

And she collided with another person, knocking them both to the ground in a tangled heap.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the other person beat her to it. "Sorry," a quiet voice spoke hurriedly. "I wasn't looking."

"No, it's my fault," the pink haired girl replied, shrinking away, hoping that the other person wouldn't see her.

In the darkness, without the moonlight, it was hard to see anything, but she could tell that this person was a girl not too much older than she was, by the looks of it, though it was hard to see her face because she seemed to be wearing some sort of bluish - almost violet cloak with the hood up.

_But I have nothing to hide under... better get away from her before she notices-_

She moved to get away, but a hand latched on to her wrist, stopping her.

"Your hair's pink..."

She struggled a bit and the other girl let her go.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you-"

_...wait, what? Did I hear that right? _"You don't... think I'm a freak?"

"... why would I think something like that?"

"My hair..."

"You're just different."

_... who is this girl? Nobody's ever... noticed me before. What if... no... I can't ask something like that. She probably can't help me. I couldn't possibly..._

"Are you... okay?"

"I... don't know," the pink haired girl closed her eyes. "Just look at me."

There was a brief, uncomfortable silence. The girl in the cloak chewed on her bottom lip.

"I... have to go. I shouldn't be out here. If anyone finds me, it could mean trouble."

"Oh. Okay."

"Okay."

Neither of them moved.

"Um... if you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

"Oh. I'm Raven. You?"

"I... don't have a name. My parents never bothered to give me one..."

The other girl drew closer and even in the faint darkness, her eyes became visible. Gorgeous, striking orbs of darkened mauve that still glowed with an immense sense of vitality... and power.

Her breath caught in her throat. "You..."

"I'm different, like you. That's why..." the low, gravelly voice trailed off. "We'll meet again. I promise. I'll find you."

"I-..." _if I'm not dead._

The violet orbs shifted. "Soon, I promise. Wait for me. Don't give up." She drew back a little, a movement to leave.

The pink haired girl looked at her nervously. "I'll..." _false hope. False hope, she's going to abandon me, like my parents did. Or if not that, she'll never be able to find me. If she's really different, like me... won't she be shunned too? Where is she from? Does she really have a home..? How is she going to take care of me? Or..._

"Wait, before I go," a hand moved within the dark cloak and she held out a small coin to the other girl. "I'm sorry. It's all I have on me right now."

An arm stretched out and slim, bony fingers clutched at the coin, bringing it up to a pair of cat-like pink eyes. _A sixpence..._

Not much, but more than she had ever had in her entire life. _Probably more than I'm worth. _"T-thank you..."

The other girl drew back, nodding slightly. "I... I'll be back soon. It might take a little bit of time, but don't worry. I won't forget." Disappearing into the darkness. "Don't give up..."

_If you say so..._

_... I really hope that..._

Her eyes lids closed, blocking off her sight of those glimmering, violaceous eyes. _Is it worse to have no hope, or to be given a chance and find out that it was a fake one to begin with..?_

_Or will she really remember me?_

In her palm, the coin felt smooth and cool. The smallest hope that maybe, maybe she wouldn't be abandoned this time. Maybe... someone would help her and she could live a normal life.

_Yeah, right. Normal? Not a chance. But... _she sighed. _But I want to be. I'm tired of being cursed. I just want someone to accept me like another person..._

She squeezed the metal disc in her hand, then opened her fist, looking at it.

"Normal, huh..." she glanced around.

All alone again.

But maybe not quite. She still had the token that the violet-eyed girl had given her. That sixpence. A sign...

"I've got sixpence," she murmured. "Jolly, jolly sixpence."

Staring up at the sky. "I've got sixpence to last me all my life."

_Normal. If I could just be... _"I've got twopence to spend and twopence to lend."

A small smile tilted her lips up. _My friend? A violet-eyed girl. _"And twopence to send home to my wife."

Her voice trailed off as she headed into the dark streets again.

* * *

A week passed, a week, waiting, alone.

A week of hopes, a week of disappointments. And a week of hunger.

She could have spent the money, but the feeling, that childish feeling of somehow being linked to that girl - Raven - by the sixpence kept her from spending it. Somehow, she felt, if she held onto it... just a bit longer, just a little bit, Raven would reappear. Come see her again. Make her feel... like a normal person. Not just a street rat.

The painful, long wait.

The other girl had said that it might take some time. She didn't know how long that was, but surely it must have meant before the winter set in? Which left another month. Another miserable month, but _I've been doing this for years. What's one more month? Besides, I suppose it's not too bad if I lay down to sleep and just don't wake up. Dying from starvation isn't too bad, once you get used to being hungry. I think._

But luckily, she had at least a little bit to eat.

Today was a festival, and all week people had been preparing for it, so there was at least a little more left over food that she could pick through. Enough so that she actually had a full stomach for once - which was not saying much, since her stomach had long since shrunken past what would have been normally reasonable.

But it was a festival - one where people still ignored her - but she did feel a little bit of... something.

Because it marked the anniversary of the overthrowing of the Lord Trigon the Terrible.

The lord who had used to live in the nearby castle, one hailed as a demon because he treated everyone so horribly. The absurdly high taxes, the rigid service system - he ruled over everyone in the nearby lands with an iron fist, and conditions in the city had been absolutely horrible. Not that they weren't horrible enough for her already, but it also meant that there was a lot less stuff thrown out that she could get because people were less apt to waste. Him being defeated had definitely helped her a bit, even though life was still hard.

Also the fact that she hated him for looking at everyone like slaves - merely to be exploited, nothing more. She hated people like that, mostly because _everyone treats me like that. Fuck them._

So it held a little bit of meaning to her, this festival.

And the third thing, the fact that apparently, it had been his _daughter _who had defeated him in one on one combat and taken over his status as lord - or lady. Proving that women, in fact, were not helpless or useless... doing something that had never been done before. Proving that women were perfectly equal to men and she, as a special case, probably better in many ways. Though, curiously, nobody had ever seen her. Most people passed it off to her being shy, as a girl. A trait that, fortunately, was not frowned upon.

_Too bad I'm not like her... _the pink haired girl sighed as she wandered the streets, slipping through the gaps between people.

All around, the colorful decorations, the shining lights, the abundance of food, toys for the children, the lively dances... life definitely was better now, even if it was still hard. But most people no longer suffered under the constant threat of starvation, nor were they unable to pay their taxes, even if money was still scarce. Most people - but not her.

_I'm cursed... just bad luck. _Her eyes traveled up. _Why did I have to be the one born with pink hair? Why did I have to have parents who abandoned me? Why did I even have to be born? I wish I had never been... but too bad. Life's a bitch._

She wandered away from the main streets, into the more secluded areas of the city and found a spot to observe the festivities from. People laughing, dancing, all the shiny masks... and then curiously, the image of a violet raven woven neatly into banners, decorating some shops - the coat of arms of Trigon's daughter, supposedly.

_I wonder what kind of person she is. Definitely a lot nicer than her dad. She's also probably scared of people. Since nobody's ever seen her and stuff. I wonder why. She's really strong, since she beat Trigon after all... what's there to be scared of? She's not a failure, like me..._

She grimaced, disgusted with herself.

_Stupid self-pity. I do what I can to survive. I need to stop being dumb. Just... forget about all of it. If I want to live... do I want to live? _She placed a hand over her emaciated abdomen. _I... think I do. I think I still try to hope... but why? What hope is there? I have nothing but a few ragged pieces of cloth and... sixpence._

She pursed her lips. _Fine. I'll wait. I'll wait for you. And in the meantime..._

* * *

An orange, a couple pieces of fried meat, several raw peppers... over the years, she had become fairly good at stealing things unnoticed. Yes, she was a thief, but to be fair, nobody had ever looked out for her in the slightest, so why should she bother worrying about them? Besides, they could afford to give her a bit of food - just nobody seemed to care to do so.

Okay, so maybe she felt a little guilty. But the constant hunger that she lived with weighed far more heavily than just a few tiny thefts here and there, especially since she wasn't _really _hurting anyone in the process. If anything, it was a response to everyone ignoring her. It was as if she was saying 'I'm here. I exist.'

Not that anyone ever acknowledged that.

_Except for Raven - _she reminded herself.

In the distance, there were faint trumpet calls and she knew what that meant. From time to time, servants would come down from the castle to the market to buy supplies, or to collect taxes. That wasn't too unusual in itself. She had seen them on several occasions, wearing clothes embroidered with the violet ravens, moving quickly and efficiently about their tasks.

But this time was a little different. There was someone else with them - a hooded figure, in... her heart fluttered. A hooded figure, in a deeply colored, indigo cloak, whose upper face was hidden by the darkened cowl... Trigon's daughter. But, remarkably similar to Raven in height and build... her breath caught in her throat. _It can't be._

She continued staring for a while longer. The cloaked girl made a few gestures and the people around her bowed and obeyed, going off to do whatever it was that she had told them to, and she was left alone in the middle of the crowd. Turning, and suddenly their eyes made contact, even from a distance - fuchsia and mauve, two odd, unique colors, unmistakable - the girl's expression didn't change, but there was no mistaking it. That was Raven. Dare she say it... _her _Raven?

"I'm sorry. My mother is a little old fashioned, so I had to win her approval before I did this," the low, husky voice whispered.

_When did she get here? _"I... thought you forgot about me."

Raven glanced around, making sure nobody was watching, then drew her hood back slightly.

A slight gasp. "Your hair... it's..."

"Violet, I know. My father threw me out when I was young because of it. I know what you've been through. That's why- that's why, I had to come back. I'm sorry that I couldn't do it earlier..."

"It's... okay. At least... you came back. Nobody's ever done that-"

The violet-eyed girl raised her hood again. "I had to. Once I saw you, I just _knew..._" she took a deep breath. "Anyway, I'm taking you back with me. If that's okay."

_Of course. Duh. That's more than okay. That's -_

Raven held out a hand and the pink haired girl took it. A dark eyebrow raised in surprise. "You didn't spend the sixpence I gave you."

"Oh. Well I was keeping it... because... I don't really know why. I just thought that you'd definitely come back if I held onto it. Or something stupid. Can I keep it?"

"Of course. But it's just a coin, you know."

"I know. I'm just being stupid..."

Raven smiled. "No. I know what you mean. I was just curious. Since it's just a sixpence."

"At that time, it was much more to me than just money. It still is."

Raven turned, her hand coming up to touch the pink haired girl's face. "I see," she said softly. "You know, I still don't know your name. Rather, you didn't have one. Right?"

"Parents never bothered to call me anything. So I don't know if I even have one."

"Hmm. Well we'll just have to fix that then. What kind of name do you want?"

"I don't know. Something different. Like yours."

Raven tilted her head, looking at the ground. "Hmm. How about Jinx? Since life has been nothing but bad luck to you..."

The other girl blinked a few times. _Jinx. Bad luck. It's true, I guess. _She looked back at Raven, back into those shimmering, violet eyes. _Well, maybe not all bad luck. But it's a good name. _

"I like it."

Raven smiled. "Okay. That'll be your name then."

Jinx smiled back. "I guess so. Hey, Rae."

"Raven."

"Whatever. Thanks. For everything..."

Raven rolled her eyes. "It wasn't a big deal..." she murmured. "I... we can talk about this later. Come on, the carriage is waiting for us."

Jinx nodded and followed the other girl through the streets, out of the city, toward the countryside. They approached a carriage and a man helped Raven onto it before turning to Jinx. But the pink haired girl was preoccupied.

"Jinx, what are you..?"

The pinkette pointed to a nearby well. Raven tilted her head, then realized what the girl was doing. She laughed softly. "Alright. Make a wish."

Jinx clutched the sixpence in her hand for a moment, then let it slide out, dropping into the water with a small splash. Then turned back and grinned. _Already got what I wanted. Wish granted. _

Raven smiled back, stretching out her hand again. "Let's go."

Their hands clasped together again and neither of them let go as they rode off on the path back home.


End file.
